


you're still invisible

by sailortwilightt



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Mild Blood, Slow Burn, but it's also really gay, it's like fight club, mild depictions of violence, you don't talk about fight club
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29519904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailortwilightt/pseuds/sailortwilightt
Summary: Everything in the Oikawa family was going perfect. And maybe Oikawa Tooru was too immature to see that it was... Too perfect. Once his sister suddenly disappears, Tooru's eyes are opened to another world.Tooru and his family are left to take care of Takeru. As much as he would like to sit and mope at his sister's disappearance, he can't. He has to find out what happened to her.In the hopes of getting his hands dirty to find his sister, Tooru first needs to build up his defenses. And that's where he meets his trainer, who might bring more complications rather than support.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kingofmycourt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingofmycourt/gifts).



> My friend sent me a tiktok and it was about someone asking for a specific fic. I already have so many iwaoi things in progress, but hey, what's adding another one gonna do? lmao  
> I've been stuck at home with this cold front, so I might as well post some fanfics, right?  
> kingofmycourt and sparkletalksanime on tiktok, this is for you!

You never know what you have until you lose it.

_"Himari, meet your baby brother, Tooru."_

_"That's my baby brother?" The little girl asked._

_Her mama nodded. "Isn't he the cutest?"_

_The little girl looked down at the bundled-up baby. He had hair just like hers. And his cheeks were chubby. She didn't want to admit it, but he was cute. "Does this mean I'm not the cutest anymore?"_

_Her papa chuckles beside her. "No, both of you are equally as cute."_

_Himari pouts. "Is Tooru gonna replace me?"_

_Her parents chuckle. "No, baby. He's going to live with us. The four of us. Won't it be nice?"_

I never thought that this would apply to me. 

_"Mama! Papa! Hi-chan is bullying me!" Tooru cries from upstairs._

_"Shut up, no I'm not!" Himari hisses, clamping a hand across his mouth. Tooru's voice muffled against her hand and she shushed him. Tooru went silent after a while and she smiled until she felt something wet cross her hand. "Ew! Tooru! What the heck!"_

_Tooru grins. "That's what you get," he sings._

_"Himari, Tooru. What are you two doing?"_

_The two of them look towards the doorway with a start. Their mama was standing against the door frame, watching Himari wiping a hand on Tooru's shirt while Tooru had half a face of makeup on._

_"Nothing!"_

Everything was perfect. 

_"Tooru, Tooru!" His mother called as she was coming up the stairs._

_Tooru groaned, rubbing his eyes as he pushed himself up in his bed. "Mama. What is it?" he asked, looking up at her as she came into his bedroom._

_"Get dressed. We're going to the hospital."_

_Tooru gets up with a start. "W-What? What happened?" Tooru asks as he follows his mom halfway out the door._

_She stops down the hall, looking back at him with a smile. "Your baby nephew is on the way."_

But maybe... Maybe that was because I was immature. And there were a lot of things being kept in the shadows. 

_"I want to be like Uncle Tooru when I'm older!"_

_Tooru chuckled. "Oh, poor Takeru, you wish you could be as cool as me," he says with a wink._

_Takeru narrows his eyes. "Hm. I changed my mind. Uncle Tooru is a loser."_

_"What did you say!"_

_"No, no, wait!" Takeru cries, running away from Tooru._

_"You're in for the noogies of your life, Takeru," Tooru threatens as he runs after him. Takeru ducks under the small coffee in their living room and Tooru's about to jump over it to meet him at the other side when he's swept up by a pair of arms. "Hey, what- Hi-chan!"_

_Himari successfully caught Tooru as he jumped and turned around, setting him down. "Tooru, don't bully my darling son," she coos, the sound of a threat well-hidden but familiar to Tooru._

_Tooru was shaken up more by the fact that she could lift him when he was taller than her and was about 160 pounds of muscle from volleyball rather than her hidden threat. "H-Hi-chan, what the heck, how can you lift me like that and not break a sweat?" he wonders out loud._

_"My mama is strong, duh. She's stronger than you. Maybe I wanna be like my mama instead and not be a loser like Uncle Tooru," Takeru sings from the other side of the coffee table. Tooru shoots him a glare and looks back at his sister._

_"But really," Tooru continues._

_"What can I say? I have a figure to maintain," she sings with a wink, turning to head into the kitchen. "Tooru, graduation is coming soon. Do you have any plans for after graduation?"_

_Tooru follows to the kitchen, leaning on the counter with a hum as he watches her cut some fruit together for Takeru's snack. "I want to go pro."_

_"In volleyball?" Himari asks._

_Tooru nods. "I'd like to. But it's not easy go pro straight after high school, so I'm gonna have to join a university team probably, get scouted or something."_

_Himari hums. "Sounds like you have it all planned out."_

_Tooru reaches over and grabs a grape from the fruit plate. He turns the grape in his fingers. "What do you do for a living, Hi-chan?"_

_Himari glances over at him before she smiles, looking back down at her cutting. "I told you. Boring office job."_

_Tooru sighs. "Didn't you wish that your life was more exciting, Hi-chan? Like, why does it have to be a boring office job? You're still young! You should go out and live your life!" he says, shaking her arm gently._

_"Tooru, please, I'm holding a knife."_

_"Oh, sorry, sorry," he says, letting her arm go. "Regardless of what I do, will you come to my graduation ceremony?"_

_She looked over at him, a small grin on her face. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Tooru."_

Sure, I told her to go live her life, but... Not like this. 

_The four of them were gathered in the living room. Takeru was asleep, his head in Tooru's lap. His mama was sitting beside him, an arm around his shoulder. His papa was sitting on the couch adjacent to them when they were told of the news._

_"Ms. Oikawa has been missing for a couple of days now. The apartment looks to have been raided, more like they were looking for something specific. No blood was seen, but the whole home was trashed. As for the boy," all their gazes turned to the sleeping Takeru. "Does the boy have a father?"_

_"No, he's... Not involved." His mama answered._

_The officer nodded. "Then he will remain with you. We will continue our search for Ms. Oikawa and we will update you when we have any new information." The officer brought their hat down from their head, holding it to their chest as they bowed slightly. "I'm sorry for your loss."_

She disappeared. Three days before graduation. I didn't want to go to graduation anymore. What was the point if she wasn't going to be there? 

But... This was something that Himari would want. She would want me to stand with my classmates and celebrate my last day of high school. 

I went. I graduated, then went straight home. 

_"Tooru, the new term is starting soon. You enrolled, didn't you? You should go, sweetie," his mama tried to coax him out of bed. Tooru wouldn't do much besides stay in bed since he lost Himari._

_"I'm not going," Tooru murmurs, turning in his bed, his back to her._

_His mama sighed softly, his bed dipping as she sat behind him. "I know... I-I know it's hard, Tooru. We're all struggling, dear." He can hear her voice wavering. Tooru bit his bottom lip. "But... But we have to stay strong. Himari would want us to continue our daily routine. We have to. Not just for us, but for Takeru too." Her voice lost its tenacity, reducing to a whisper._

_Tooru sniffled. "For Takeru," he murmurs._

_"T-That's right. We have to be strong, for Takeru," she repeats, stroking his shoulder gently. "You don't have to go today, but... think about it, okay? Lunch will be ready soon, join us, okay?" She stands and she leans over, pressing a kiss on his temple before she straightens, heading out of his bedroom._

For Takeru... For Takeru, I would find out what happened to Himari. 

_Tooru came to a stop in front of a shady, non-descript-looking building. He looked down at the flyer in his hands and back up at the building._

_"Self-defense boxing and mixed martial arts classes," he read. The location looked like a car mechanic shop, and even though it was early in the afternoon, all the three garages were closed._

_Tooru took a deep breath and he folded the flyer, shoving back into his pocket, starting for the door._

_A bell jingled as he opened the door and he was greeted by a tall, intimidating man. "Can I help you?"_

_Fear welled up in Tooru's stomach, telling him to turn around and leave. He swallowed thickly and nodded. "I... I'd like to sign up for classes, please."_

You don't know what you have until you lose it. And I for one, am not going to sit around and stay lost. I will find Himari.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling inspired. Who would have thought?

"So you're not going to go to university?" his mama questioned. 

Tooru shook his head. "As much as I'd like to go, I think I'm going to get a job to earn some money instead." 

"But you looked forward to going to university," his mama murmurs. 

"And what about volleyball? I thought you intended on going professional?" his papa asked. 

Tooru moved some food around his plate aimlessly. "It seems like going pro is a lot harder than I expected. There's a lot that goes into it, and you usually get scouted while you're in high school. We had nothing of the sort when I was in high school, so it's generally harder to get scouted while at uni." Tooru smiled. "It's alright. I'm not exactly bothered by it. Besides, if I start working, I can start earning money now rather than depend on you two for so long. Tooru has to grow up too!" 

His parents looked at each other with worrying glances, but before they could say anything else, Takeru spoke up. 

"Uncle Tooru, can we go get some ice cream?" Takeru asked, jumping in his seat. 

"Takeru, don't jump in your seat, dear." 

Tooru smiled. "Sure. Let's finish lunch and we can go get some ice cream." 

Lunch carried on and Tooru tried to help his mama with the dishes, but both his mama and papa ushered him out, telling him to go spend time with Takeru. 

"It's been a while since he's gone out," his papa murmurs. 

"Take him to the park and get some ice cream, 'kay?" his mama smiles. 

Tooru chuckles quietly and nods. "Alright, alright." He jogs up the stairs, knocking on the door that once belonged to his sister. He still half-expected her to open the door, shout something at him and slam it in his face. Instead, he was greeted with her smaller half, looking up at him curiously. 

"What's up?" he asks, tilting his head to the side. 

"Didn't you want to go get some ice cream?" 

Takeru perked. "Oh yeah!" 

Tooru chuckles. "Well, grab a sweater just in case, and let's go!" Takeru nods quickly, running further into his bedroom to grab a sweater. Leaving the door open, Tooru steps in, taking in his surroundings. 

Ever since Himari moved out, the room was kept as a guest room, so it was quite empty for the most part. Once his parents took full custody of him, the room slowly but surely started to look like Takeru's. The bed had been switched out to a smaller one, lowered closer to the ground. The drawers had action and mecha figures on them. A desk was brought in so he could do his homework. 

Tooru sat on the edge of Takeru's bed, sighing softly. It still smelled like her, faintly, but the smell of stinky eight-year-old was starting to replace it. 

Tooru chuckled to himself, looking down at the carpet. There was a fainted gray stain of nail polish still from when Tooru had pounced on Himari when they were younger. He remembers how much trouble they got in that day. Tooru for scaring Himari. Himari for hitting Tooru on the head. The two of them for their joint actions causing the nail polish to fall on the carpet. 

"Okay, I'm ready!" Takeru came out from the closet, a sweater draped on the side of his arm. 

Tooru smiled. "Alright, let's go!" 

Tooru led Takeru to the park. There were some old friends that Takeru would play with there, so he ran off to play with them for a while. 

While Takeru was playing with them, Tooru decided to look at nearby job offerings. He wasn't necessarily happy with the idea of quitting his dream and going pro, but if he was going to find out what and why his sister suddenly disappeared off the face of the Earth without a trace, he was going to have to start somewhere. Going pro was going to take him in the opposite direction. 

He figured that the first place to start was any places that had high customer volume. Working at a busy place usually brought a lot of stress, but it also brought a lot of town talk. 

Maybe a restaurant? Tooru didn't know if he could deal with having to work as a host or waiter. Much less washing dishes. He didn't want to ruin his nails. 

Some place with the same amount of traffic as a restaurant, but not entirely food service. A bakery? That sounds interesting. Oh, but they need a baking apprentice. Does that mean he'd have to be in the back rather than in the front? Hmm, might have to pass on that. 

A coffee and tea shop? They primarily served drinks and the occasional snacks. Located on the outskirts of the university campus downtown. Travel to and from the shop would be a hassle, but... 

"Bye-bye!" The voice approaching him made him look up. Takeru was coming towards him, panting with a smile on his face. "Uncle Tooru, can we get ice cream now?" 

Tooru locked his phone and stood, tucking it into his pocket. "Sure," he smiled. 

The ice cream shop wasn't too far away. It was a special shop that served taiyaki along with the ice cream that Tooru loved to come to. Takeru didn't get any taiyaki and always grumbled when Tooru would and take pictures of it to put it on his social media. 

"Who wants to see that?" Takeru would ask. 

"I'll have you know, I have a lot of fans," Tooru states, sticking his tongue out at him. 

"Yeah, lots of fans, but no friends," Takeru retorts back. 

"Hey!" Takeru breaks out into a fit of laughter. 

They eat their ice cream in happy silence until it was broken. 

"Uncle Tooru, why did you quit on your dream? Did you give up on your dream just to take care of me? You don't have to do that." 

Tooru nearly dropped the taiyaki off of his ice cream. "W-What?" 

Takeru doesn't look at him, only taking another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. He digs his spoon into the ice cream before he slaps a hand to his forehead. "Ah!" he exclaims. "Brain freeze!" 

Tooru frowns slightly before he sighs and gives a small smile. He puts a hand over Takeru's, ruffling his hair lightly. "You're alright." Takeru looks up at him and gives a close-eyed smile. It was childlike and innocent. 

Even then, Takeru was an Oikawa after all. He was his sister's son. If he was the least bit smart like Himari, he definitely knew what was going on. But what's the use of addressing the elephant in the room if they're aware that it's there and have come to accept it? 

"And you're dumb. Who gets a brain freeze? Only idiots get brain freezes," Tooru snorts, taking in a spoonful of ice cream. Which quickly prompted a headache. Tooru groaned, bringing a hand to his temple as he closed his eyes. 

"Ha! Who's the idiot now!" Takeru laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little slow moving right now, but the storyline will pick up soon. Comments are certainly appreciated <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now introducing, everyone else lol

"Well, when can you start?" 

Tooru had applied to several high customer volume jobs. Several stationery stores, book stores, a daycare center at one point, before he started to delve into the food industry. Tooru couldn't fathom having to get his hands dirty, much less wash dishes as a busboy. As much as he tried to avoid those positions, he had gone to plenty of interviews where he would have to do a rotation bussing tables. 

In the end, he did apply for the coffee/tea shop and snagged an interview. Travel time to the cafe was about a thirty-minute commute by train, then a fifteen-minute walk from the station. It wasn't too bad, but he would dread the walk once the weather got cold. 

"Don't forget," Tooru told himself as he walked to the cafe. "You're doing this for Himari and Takeru." 

Royal Tea Cafe. The location was in the corner of a busy intersection and there were lots of people walking around, both inside and out. Tooru squeezed past a couple of people and when he made it to the counter, he did get a couple of nasty looks from the people waiting in line. He offered an apologetic smile as the cashier noticed him. 

"Sorry, excuse me, I'm looking for Takeda-san?" 

The cashier blinked up at him and she seemed to blush slightly before glancing back over her shoulder... "Hinata, can you-" 

"Got it!" A boy nodded behind her and dashed towards the back of the cafe. The cashier looked back at Tooru and smiled. 

"If you go towards that end of the cafe, Takeda-sensei will come out to meet you." She pointed to the other end of the shop and smiled. 

Tooru smiled back. "Thanks..." he looked down at her nametag. "Yachi-chan," he winked before he headed down towards where she pointed. Tooru maneuvered through the people. 

The place seemed pretty full. There was a lot more traffic than Tooru expected. Still, as he watched the staff work, they seemed to be trained well enough to keep the flow of the cafe moving efficiently. With enough training, he could probably do the same. 

He kept watching the staff as they worked until someone came to stand in his periphery. Tooru looked down at them slightly, a man with short black hair, glasses, and a kind face. 

"Hello. Did you ask for me? I'm Takeda Ittetsu." 

Tooru pushed himself off the wall and offered his hand. "Yes, hello. I'm Oikawa Tooru. I'm here for the interview?" 

Takeda brightened. "Oh, yes, Oikawa-san! Come in, come in." Takeda motions Tooru to follow down a hallway. Takeda leads him down a hall and through an "employees only" doorway. There was a decent-sized storage room with several refrigerators and a table with several chairs. Takeda continued further back through the storage room and there was another door that was slightly ajar that he lead them through. 

"Please, sit," Takeda motions to the chair across the table as he goes around. "Thank you for coming, Oikawa-san. I appreciate your interest in our cafe. Have you ever worked in a cafe before?" he asks, sitting in a chair across from Tooru. 

"When we had school festivals, I would always assist with the food stands, but aside from that, I, unfortunately, don't have a lot of experience," Tooru said with a guilty smile. 

Takeda chuckled. "That's alright. You don't need to be an expert in the food industry to have to work here. I mean, we have one kid out there who knew nothing of tea or coffee, only knew volleyball, but now he's one of best employees here." 

Tooru straightened. "Oh really?" 

Takeda nods. "Yeah, Hinata. He was the one who told me you were here." The short one? He played volleyball? He might be a libero possibly. "But yes, you don't need to have the experience to work here. It is a plus, but it's not needed." 

"Thank you," Tooru bows his head. And for that, he was grateful. 

The interview went as well as all of his previous interviews have gone, but this interview seemed more lax than all of his previous ones. They always asked why. Why did he apply here? What could he bring to the company? The narcissistic side of him wanted to say that he could bring in even more clientele with his good looks, but the rational side of him told him that that was an inappropriate response. 

The most Takeda wanted out of him was his availability. 

"We have a lot of part-time positions available, and the full-times are few in between. We hire a lot of part-timers since the majority of our staff are university students. Do you attend the university?" 

"I see. I'm enrolled in the university, but due to some family circumstances, I've decided to go straight to work rather than attend classes," Tooru answered. 

Takeda nodded and Tooru thinks that he could see a flash of pity cross his expression. "Well, whichever you prefer, Oikawa-san, I can provide you with a schedule you see fit. I do see you live a little far though. Will the commute be a problem?" 

Tooru shakes his head. "Oh no, not at all! It will take me nearly an hour to get here, but it's nothing that I can't handle. If I could wake up early for volleyball practice, I could definitely get up for work." 

"I like that enthusiasm," Takeda says with a small chuckle. He sighs softly and looks down at some papers in front of him. "Well, when can you start?" 

Tooru tilted his head to the side. "I have to figure out a schedule with my family to see when I can or can't work, but once I have that all figured out, the sooner the better!" 

Takeda grinned. "That sounds wonderful, Oikawa-san. Well, on behalf of Royal Tea Cafe," Takeda turns in his chair and takes a clipboard, offering it to him. "I'd like to welcome you to the staff. If you could fill these forms out for me, please. We can get these out of the way now so that when when you come in for your first shift, we will have it over with." 

Tooru takes the clipboard and stands, bowing. "Thank you, Takeda-sensei. I will do my best." 

While Tooru was working on the paperwork, Takeda was putting information into the computer as he filled them out. Tooru was halfway through the paperwork when someone else joined them in the room. Both he and Takeda looked at him and he froze at the door. 

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" 

"No, not at all," Tooru waves with a hand. 

"I was just finishing up with an interview, Keishin," Takeda replies, motioning the male to continue into the room. The smell of cigarette smoke trailed after him, but it was faint. "Oikawa-san, this is Ukai Keishin. He's the owner of this establishment. Keishin, this is Oikawa Tooru, our new employee." 

Tooru stood and offered his hand to Ukai. He was just slightly taller than him, his blond hair pushed back with a hairband. He shook hands before he went to lean on a table behind Takeda's chair. "It's a pleasure to meet you. But Takeda-sensei, if Ukai-sensei is the owner, are you the manager?" 

"Kind of! I'm like the 'human resources' of the establishment," Takeda responds. 

"You could also say co-owner," Ukai offered, putting a hand on Takeda's shoulder. 

Takeda jumps in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. "W-Well, I wouldn't say all that." 

"Well, I would still like to thank the two of you for having me," Tooru says with another small bow. 

Takeda chuckles. "The pleasure's ours for having you join our company." 

After discussing the details with his family, Tooru has come to the conclusion that he could essentially work the same hours that Takeru was at school. After discussing with Takeda, they came to the agreement that Tooru could do temporary part-time while he was training, and once his training period was done, he would be able to pick up longer shifts. 

Working the morning shift proved to be as stressful as Tooru had expected it to be. It was a mixture of students and university staff, along with surrounding business staff. Still, even with the number of people that were coming in, the Royal Tea staff was able to handle it very well. 

The early morning staff consisted of Kiyoko Shimizu as the shift lead, Sugawara Koshi, Hanamaki Takahiro, Matsukawa Issei, Miya Osamu, and Suna Rintaro. 

The midmorning staff consisted of Kiyoko, Sugawara, Yachi, Hanamaki, Akaashi Keiji, and occasionally Hinata Shoyo. 

The noon shift consisted of shift lead Kuroo Tetsuro, Yachi, Hinata, Yamaguchi Tadashi, and Haiba Alisa. 

The afternoon shift held Kuroo, Haiba, apparently, there was another Miya, Atsumu, Nishinoya Yuu, and Azumane Asahi. 

The evening shift consisted of Nishinoya, Azumane, Tanaka Ryuuosuke, Bokuto Kotarou, and Yamamoto Akane. 

Tooru had to say, the list of employees that they had was quite the colorful staff. The morning shifts seemed to pass pretty calmly, but as the day went on, the more... chaotic? Was the best way to put it. And they all seemed to come from nearby towns and had backgrounds in volleyball, interestingly enough. Small world. 

It took about two days for Tooru to memorize the menu. It took him four days to know how to work the cash register. It took him one and a half week to memorize the most popular drinks. It took longer than that to memorize the not-so-popular drinks. It was about three weeks when Tooru started to make a mental note of who all the regulars were. 

And it took one and a half months for Tooru to finally be able to work on his own. And honestly, he was having fun. He seemed to get along with Hanamaki and Matsukawa well. And at first, he didn't like Sugawara, but then he realized that they had more in common than he thought. 

Once Tooru started to take longer shifts, staying long enough to meet Kuroo was a trip in and of itself. He thinks he might have met him once or twice at a volleyball match between high schools, but he isn't sure. It's funny to mess with Yachi and make her flustered. Hinata turned out to be a middle blocker on the university's volleyball team and Tooru admired him for a moment, admiring the fact that he didn't allow his height to hinder his spirit. (That didn't stop him from teasing the hell out of him though.) 

It was about two months when Tooru felt like he had a good handle on things. He was still learning a couple of tips and tricks here and there, but now, he was able to focus on what was going on around him, and not in front of him. 

Tooru was disappointed to find out that there wasn't much going on. 

After a particularly dry week, Tooru was frustrated and angry. What was he expecting? Himari's disappearance was practically silent. Sure, his family put missing person notices out there, but it's been two months. Maybe news of her already happened and he didn't know anything about it because he was still in training. 

Or maybe... Maybe, he's just thinking everything would come easy to him like everything would be handed to him. As if he was so special, as if the world owed him, as if- 

"Oi, Iwaizumi! You finally came in." Hanamaki's voice cut through his train of thoughts. The early morning rush hadn't started yet and Tooru was filling the coffee grinder with beans to start the day when the first customer of the day walks in. 

The male looked to be just slightly shorter than him, tanned skin and spiky hair to make up for the possible lack of height. Sleep still seemed heavy on his eyes, the frown on his lips either from lack of sleep or just its natural state. "You wouldn't stop bugging me until I did, so here I am," he grumbled as he approached the counter. 

Tooru put the lid on the coffee bean holder and jumped down from the small step-stool he was standing on. He wiped his hands on his apron and greets Iwaizumi with a smile. "Good morning, what can I get you?" 

Iwaizumi stared at him for a moment before he dragged his eyes up to the menu. Hanamaki came to sit on the counter beside Tooru, while Matsukawa leaned on the counter behind them. 

"How much do you want to bet he's just gonna order black coffee?" Hanamaki whispers loudly. 

"I'm not going to bet shit," Matsukawa whispers back. 

"I can hear you, you know." 

Silence fills the space between them while Iwaizumi continues looking at the menu. 

"You think he likes the sugary stuff? I mean, look at him," Matsukawa continues. 

Iwaizumi sighs. "I'll just have a medium black coffee." 

There was a moment of silence before the three of them started laughing, making Iwaizumi's frown harden. 

"Gosh, Iwa-chan, for a second, I thought you were going to prove them wrong," Tooru says between chuckles, ringing in the coffee. 

"Don't call me that," Iwaizumi huffed, handing cash over. 

"Oh, if you're going to start coming here, you better get used to it. He's given every employee a nickname," Matsukawa says as he's pouring the coffee for him. 

"I'm Makki," Hanamaki points to himself before pointing to Matsukawa. "That's Mattsun. Now you're Iwa-chan!" 

"Don't," Iwaizumi sighs deeply. 

"Oh, come on, don't be such a downer, Iwa-chan," Tooru cooed. 

"Yeah, Iwa-chan," Matsukawa joined in. 

"It's too early for your bullshit." 

"It's never too early for bullshit," Sugawara calls as he's coming in from the storage room. 

"Suga!" The three of them cheered. 

"I'll take this as my cue to leave," Iwaizumi murmured into his cup. 

"Bye, Iwa-chan! Come back soon!" Tooru called as he watched him leave. His shoulders were... broad. He watched as Iwaizumi rose a hand and waved once. 

"Don't count on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tah-dah! It's Iwa-chan!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's where the real mystery begins

"So, you're on the university's volleyball team?" 

"Something like that." 

"Something like that? What kind of answer is that?" 

"An answer." 

There was a sigh. "Tsumu, stop being an asshole to the new guy." 

"Shut up, Samu." 

"It makes sense when Samu says he's the better twin now," Tooru sighs. 

"Bro, what the fuck?" Atsumu exclaims. 

"You're proving me right, keep stirring the pot, Tsumu," Osamu smirks, handing his twin his coffee order. 

"I can't stand you," Atsumu mumbles, taking the cup that was set on the counter. 

"Aw, the feeling's mutual baby bro," Osamu coos, turning his back on his brother as he went to make a drink for another customer. 

"Drinking that sugary drink isn't very healthy first thing in the morning," Tooru says, grabbing Atsumu's attention before he leaves. 

Atsumu looks down at his drink before he looks back at Tooru. "Why?" 

"I know it's the caffeine you're looking for for that morning pick me up before breakfast, but all that sugar will just make you crash in the middle of practice. You should try something that doesn't have too much sugar, or try to cut it out completely," he answers as he wipes the counter. 

Atsumu hums, popping his straw in his frappe. "And how do you know this?" 

Tooru grins. "I used to be the captain of my high school volleyball team. I used to do that too until I started to crash in the middle of practice. Pre-workout should give you the same effects you're searching for if you want a morning pick me up." 

Atsumu stares at him and he takes a long sip from his frappe. "Alright. I'll consider it," he replies before he turns on his heel and walks away. 

Tooru hums, turning to back to the rest of his coworkers. "Man, can't imagine having to put up with that every day." 

Hanamaki laughs. "Don't like him because he reminds you of yourself?" 

"Hey, that's not true!" Tooru pouts. Osamu, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa laugh. "I hate you all, this is slander, I will not tolerate this behavior, and I will be reporting it to Kiyoko-chan." 

"Reporting what to me?" she asks as she walks in from the storage room with several cartons of assorted milk. 

"Kiyoko-chan, Makki, Mattsun, and Samu are harassing me in the workplace!" Tooru whined, crossing his arms. 

Kiyoko tucks the cartons of milk in a miniature refrigerator that's under the counter before she turns to look at the three. "Boys, behave," she says before turning to Tooru. "Tooru." 

"Yes?" he asks, grinning as the other boys look mildly scolded. 

"Stop being annoying." 

Tooru's jaw drops and the other three start laughing again. "Kiyo- What! I haven't done anything!" 

"Considering how well you get along Suga, I find that slightly hard to believe," she argued. 

"You know what, that two-week resignation letter is starting to look very enticing," Tooru sighed dramatically before he turned to make his own drink for the morning. 

"Oh, nooooo," drawled Matsukawa as he draped an arm across Tooru's shoulder. "Don't quit." 

"But we're going to miss you so much," joined in Hanamaki at his other shoulder. 

Tooru glanced at the two of them before letting out a huff and smirked. "You two would be lost without me." 

"Takeda-sensei?" 

The framed glasses popped up from behind the computer and then he grinned. "Oikawa-san! Come in, come in. What can I do for you?" he questioned, motioning his hand towards the chairs across his desk. Tooru gave a small nod of his head and sat down in one of the chairs. "How has the work been treating you? The customers being nice? If any of the customers are giving you a hard time, don't hesitate to call on your lead, and if they're unavailable, either me or Keishin will be here too, okay?" 

Tooru chuckled lightly, nodding. "Yes! Everyone has been very kind and welcoming. Thank you, Takeda-sensei." 

Takeda smiles. "Our staff is very important to us. You all are a lot like family." 

"Family," Tooru repeats, looking down at his hands. "Takeda-sensei, can I... Ask a favor of you?" 

"Of course, Oikawa-san. I'll do everything in my power to help." 

Tooru's hands clench his apron. "I... Have a sister. As of a couple months ago, she's been missing and... We haven't been able to find any traces of her. My parents, they're... They're already setting up funeral arrangements, but... I have a gut feeling that she's still alive." 

"Oh my gosh, Oikawa-san, I'm so sorry," Takeda murmurs. 

Tooru's grip on his apron tightens. "There's... Japan's such a big place, and the population is even bigger but... I was... I was wondering if I would be able to put up one of her posters up on the bulletin board? The likelihood of one of the customers knowing her could be unlikely, but it's also such a small world, and-" 

"Yes, of course." Tooru gasps quietly, looking up at Takeda. "It's not like it's one of those university bulletin boards where you have to get the poster approved- Well, at least as you let us know first what the poster is, you can - But yes, yes, please, do use our bulletin boards." 

Tooru couldn't help the tremble of his lip, the stutter of his breath. "T-Thank you, Takeda-sensei," he whispers with a bow of his head. 

Takeda simply smiles kindly, coming around his desk, and gives Tooru a hug while he's still sitting. Takeda tucks Tooru under his chin and rubs his back gently. "I know we haven't known each other long, and most jobs suck with teamwork, but I like to think that we all get along fairly well here and we will all have each other's back if need be." Takeda pulls back, looking down at a teary-eyed Tooru. "If you need any of our help, just let us know, okay?" 

Tooru sniffles and nods. "T-Thank you again, Takeda-sensei," he murmurs before he's leaning over to hug the man again. 

As one of the openers, Tooru was given a key to the cafe. The next morning, he arrived a little earlier than usual to put up Himari's poster. There were a couple of posters he did have to rearrange, like a university event poster, a posting in search of a roommate, another in search of a specific sewing machine item. Tooru fixed Himari's poster close towards the edge of the bulletin board. He was originally going to put his phone number on the poster, but decided against it, simply putting his burner email on it, in the given case some sick-minded person thought it would be funny to play a prank. 

Once satisfied with his results, Tooru began to work on the rest of the opening routine. He turned on the lights, the ovens, the coffee grinder. He made sure all the syrups were filled last night, texting Yamamoto that one of the chocolate bottles was missing. 

Yama-chan: Ah! Sorry! Noya and Tanaka were playing around a little too much last night and ruined one of the bottles 

Yama-chan: I told Bo to get another bottle from the back, but he must have forgotten;; 

Tooru: Leave it to Noya and Tanaka to mess something up 

Yama-chan: lmao you've got that right 

Yama-chan: But you're tall! You should be able to reach the shelf where the extra cups are 

Yama-chan: Kiyo-chan already knows about it too so you don't have to worry about telling her 

Tooru: pLEASE tell me you went off of them last night 

Yama-chan: abso-fucking-lutely 

Yama-chan: It was so bad, poor Asahi was apologizing too 

Tooru: fuck yeah Yama-chan, you show those boys what's up!!! 

Tooru chuckles and puts his phone away, heading into storage and looking for the bottles. Once he found a box that had the extra bottles in them, he took one and came back to fill it with chocolate syrup. As he did, Hanamaki and Matsukawa walked in, Hanamaki rolling one of his shoulders. 

"Does it really bother you that bad?" Matsukawa asks. 

"Yes! I told you you were being rough, but you didn't listen!" Hanamaki huffed. 

"Woah, hey, whatever happens in the bedroom, stays in the bedroom, fellas," Tooru grinned from the other side of the counter. Matsukawa smirks. 

"Please, I'd never be rough with him in the bedroom," Matsukawa coos. 

"God, I beg to differ," Hanamaki groans, rolling his shoulder one more time before he stops. 

"Fellas, is it gay to talk about manners in the bedroom with your coworkers?" Tooru asks as he puts down the newly filled chocolate syrup bottle. 

"It's only gay if you make it gay," Matsukawa replies. 

"Not to make it gay then, but are you two really a thing? Because I'm totally getting vibes here and don't get me wrong, I have nothing against it, but I want to know before I take it the extra mile and say something that might just make us hate this shift going forward," Tooru says, turning to the two of them. 

Matsukawa and Hanamaki took at each other and they chuckle. "It's... Nothing like that," Hanamaki begins. 

"At least not yet," Matsukawa interjects. 

"Shut up," Hanamaki murmurs, pushing Matsukawa away. "There's mutual feelings between us, but this one said he couldn't ask me out until I properly learned how to block him." 

"Block him?" 

"It's a good defensive move, Hiro. It's one of the basics you have to master before you go any further," Matsukawa coos, massaging at his shoulder. 

Hanamaki sighs softly at the touch before he begins frowning. "The more you abuse me, the more I'm starting to realize that I maybe won't want to date you." 

"No, Hiro, don't," Matsukawa whines, wrapping his arms around his waist. 

"What the hell are you two up to?" Tooru asks, snapping them out of their little moment. 

"Oh. We're in this mixed arts class together. I'm basically training Hiro," Matsukawa explains, resting his chin on Hanamaki's shoulder. 

"Mixed arts?" The more they talked, the more confused Tooru got. 

"So we go to this gym, it has a variety of... training you can do? Like boxing, martial arts, that sort of thing," Hanamaki explained. "Issei's teaching me the ropes in the mixed arts, which lead to me being manhandled and hurt by Issei." 

Matsukawa chuckled. "You know you like it when I manhandle you." 

"Oh, gross, do keep that in the bedroom," Tooru sighed, motioning them away with a hand as he tries to walk around them. 

"Would you be interested?" Matsukawa asks. 

Tooru's head snapped towards him. "Do you even know if I'm gay?" 

"He meant in the gym classes, you idiot," Hanamaki clarified. 

"Oh." Tooru's face reddened and he looked away. "N-No thanks, I'll be alright." 

It had been five months since his sister's disappearance. 

There's been no update from the police. There have been several customers who will stop by the bulletin board, but nobody would come up and ask them about it. His parents have come to the agreement that they will be holding a funeral procession for Himari the following month. Tooru didn't agree with it, but his parents said that it would be best if they all presumed the worst, to try to cope in one way or another. 

When Tooru vehemently disagreed, his parents attempted to suggest therapy. Tooru refused, leaving the house, and began running. He shut off his phone and ran, ran until he was out of breath and his legs ached. When he finally regained his breath and took in his surroundings, he realized that he was at Himari's apartment complex. 

The local police agency stated that there were no good leads and if it kept up, they were going to have to close the investigation soon. Himari's apartment was still under investigation, but they haven't mentioned much of it in a while. Tooru looked down at his keys. Himari had given him a copy of her key for whenever he wanted to swing by. He wondered if he could still go in. 

Tooru entered the complex, hopping into the elevator with a couple of kids that were heading up. Her apartment was on the sixth floor, the kids waving him goodbye as they continued up. Tooru walked the familiar corridor of the complex, stopping at her door. He was about to push his key into the deadlock when he realized the door was already open. That's... Weird. Tooru leaned close to the door, trying to hear if there was anyone inside, but he couldn't hear anything. 

Tooru looked around. The hallway was empty, eerily so. He looked back at the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open a little more and slipped inside. 

The inside... was trashed. He knew that the first police officer that told them of Himari's disappearance had said that the apartment had been trashed, but he didn't think like this. There were broken dishes scattered across the kitchen floor, the dining room table was broken in half. The television that had been mounted on the wall had been torn down. The small bookshelf that housed many of his favorite books and Takeru's board games were thrown across the living room. The couch cushions were shredded. 

Tooru continued towards Himari's bedroom and he honestly wasn't ready to see what was in there. The bedroom was trashed just as badly, if not worse. The bed was gutted and throw up against the way. Himari's drawers were pulled out of their slots, haphazardly stacked on the side. In the bathroom, the shower curtain was torn off the rings and was only hanging on by two. Himari's clothes from her closet were thrown all over the floor. Himari's jewelry was dumped into the bathtub. Tooru started to lead down to pick up some of the rings, when his foot slipped and brought down the rest of the curtain along with the rod, making a loud clatter. Luckily, he caught himself before falling face-first into the wall. Tooru huffed quietly and picked up a couple of rings, setting them down on the bathroom counter. Tooru dusted himself off and decided that maybe he should leave and started heading towards the living room when he heard another voice come from the directions of Takeru's room. 

"What the hell was that?" Tooru froze just before opening Himari's bedroom wider. 

"It sounded like it came from the other bedroom." 

"Do you think it was Sho?" It sounded too hushed and improper to sound like police investigators. 

"I don't know, go fucking check." Footsteps started to go towards him and Tooru quickly looked for someplace to hide. The torn-up mattress was still leaning against the wall, providing a small hide space. He quickly shuffled into the limited space. 

The door slammed open and Tooru jumped, clamping a hand against his mouth and nose. His breathing was hard and his heart was hammering in his chest. The footsteps seemed to go into the bathroom and ventured into the closet. It sounded like there was some stuff being thrown around. Tooru was trying to listen to the other person, to see where they were, but Tooru couldn't tell. 

"Jiro," the voice was coming out of the bathroom, pausing in the bedroom. "I think someone else is here." 

"What?" The one named Jiro called from the other room. 

"I said, I think someone else is here!" He called, sounding closer to the bed. 

Tooru's hand tightened against his face, his hand clenching at his shirt. He felt as if his heart was trying to claw its way out of his throat. He could hear the other's footsteps coming closer and Tooru, Tooru wasn't a very religious person, but he prayed to whatever higher being there was, prayed that he wouldn't get caught, and meet whatever fate his sister did. 

"Yun! I found something!" the voice outside of the bedroom called. The footsteps on the other side of the mattress stopped and Tooru held his breath. Once the footsteps started to retreat, he let out a shaky breath. 

Tooru came out from behind the mattress and leaned close to the door, attempting to hear where the two others were. It sounded like they were further inside, maybe in Takeru's room. Tooru pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head and he quickly slipped out of Himari's room, taking careful steps to not step on any of the glass or ceramic that was scattered across the floor. He opened the door and swiftly stepped out, cursing himself when he closed the door. 

Tooru quickly bolted down the hall, bringing his phone up to his ear as if he was talking to someone. Tooru started laughing, trying to keep the nervousness out of his tone once he heard a door open behind him and the sound of someone running towards him as he turned down the hall. 

"You're so funny," Tooru chuckled and swallowed thickly. "Yeah, I did the homework. You think you're going to get answers out of me, pfft. You're asking the wrong person. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm coming downstairs already, sheesh," Tooru sighed. The running stopped once they turned the corner and Tooru hummed, nodding in agreement. Tooru made little noises as if he's answering a conversation and he hits the elevator button. 

"I just had to drop something off at my Auntie's house, jeez, stop hounding me. We're not going to be late for the movie, can you be quiet. I will hang up on you." The elevator doors opened and he went inside, pressing the button for the ground floor. "How about we race there? You know I'm a fast runner. Oh, it's on." He didn't want to risk being followed in the other elevator. At least this would give them enough reason to think he was just a coincidence. 

Once the elevator doors closed, he leaned against them and slid down to the floor, pressing his phone to his chest. "Holy fucking shit," he whispered, his breath trembling. It took him three floors to regain his thoughts and breath. It took getting to the ground floor to get back on his feet. Just as the doors opened, he stood tall and walked out of the elevator like any other normal person would. As he made it outside the doors, he did some light jogging in place, waving hi to a family that eyed him suspiciously as they were coming in before he started his run. 

Tooru ran. He ran, and ran until he made it to his street. He was glad that he lived on the side of the corner of an intersection, allowing him to jump over the fence and finding solace in his small backyard. Tooru collapsed on the lawn, panting, soaked in sweat when he came to one specific conclusion. 

He was going to be the one to find out what happened to Himari.


End file.
